In this review of Prima Apparata #1, imperfection has a price, and Mar is determined to be perfect. No matter what it takes.
PRIMA APPARATA #1
Writer: OLIVIA DUFAULT
Artist And Main Cover: REBEKA ISAACS
Variant Covers: MIKE HUDDLESTON, PATRICK HORVATH
Page Count: 32 pages
Release Date: September 2, 2026
This review contains spoilers
We open Prima Apparata #1 on an audition on a spaceship of sorts, while there’s a mention of the story of Appolyta the Huntress. One girl’s ankle twitches just a tiny bit, but that tiny bit is more than enough to get her thrown out of the airlock. More girls are thrown out for various infractions, until two remain standing.
One of these girls is our main character Mar. She hails from Cloning Colony 7, and thanks to genetic imperfections, they don’t normally get accepted. But Mar, with enough body modifications, has potential.
After a lengthy process of body modifications, and during her recovery, Mar meets her roommate Rhea, the other girl that survived the audition process. She went through the same thing, but definitely has questions about the whole situation. She’s sure that the Patrons are super-eager to blow them up like they had the Earth.
It’s been a year since the modifications began, as Madame V informs Mar, before taking her to see a performance like what she’ll be trained to do. The performance involves a dancer piloting a mech that represents Appolyta, opposite another mech to portray the White Doe. But when the performance ends, the Patrons are less than impressed, blowing up the dancer that’s displeased them.
Seeing this, Mar realizes that she can’t just be good. She has to be the best.
Parts of Prima Apparata #1’s very premise are giving me college flashbacks. Namely high, stressful standards. Granted, the worst that happened with screwing something up in art school was having to start all over again on a project for the umpteenth time while crying through about half of it. Quite thankful that getting tossed into the dark cold reaches of space wasn’t at all part of the equation.
Seriously, when the stakes for failure involve an airlock, that already sets the tone for an intense narrative. But then we get into how one can be helped to improve: mechanical enhancements implanted surgically in the body. I’m assuming that the jack in the back of the neck is connected to how a dancer pilots the Appolyta mech.
Also, when Madame V points out that she hails from the same place as Mar, I took a good look at her face and realized that, yep, they’re from the same stock. I’m wondering if Madame V had been a dancer once, herself, and actually pleased the Patrons, or if she was content to remain more backstage, knowing the risks. Either way, quite curious about her.
The artwork for Prima Apparata #1 is eye-catching, and the dancers have the sort of delicate grace one would expect of a ballerina. That even extends to the Appolyta mech: she looks incredibly graceful, despite being a giant mech, and I’m loving that design overall. Though I wonder how much it costs to manufacture one of those in-universe. But of course, when the price for even the tiniest flaw in the Patrons’ eyes is exploding, budgets probably aren’t a factor.
The character expressions in Prima Apparata #1 work quite well, too. Especially seeing how excited Mar is to be involved. And her determination to be the absolute best.
I’m loving the overall premise for this story. On the one hand, we’ve got a story of a girl striving to be the best. On the other, we’ve got mechs and alien beings ready to blow up anything that displeases them.
As for Rhea…I’m definitely worried about her right away. She’s questioning this whole thing, and a lot of settings don’t really appreciate that. At one point, Madame V says that Rhea’s body isn’t quite meshing with the implants. She’s hesitant. Like she’s carefully choosing her words. And there’s the mention of a Kiln. I’m not 100% what that entails, exactly, in this setting, but in terms of pottery, that’s where projects are exposed to a high enough amount of heat to ensure they’re ready. With how intense the dance program is at The Conservatory…yes, definite reason for concern.
Final Thoughts
Prima Apparata #1 is a strong debut to a story about the cost of imperfection with a very fun mix of elements.
